Let's Talk About Sleep...
Sleep is so key to quality of life and physical well-being. Sleep deprivation has been associated with increased risk for anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. There are also associations with inflammation, immune dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic diseases. As anyone who’s been sleep deprived knows, it makes you feel like crap! That was by FAR the most challenging part for me as a new parent.
Sleep and bedtime habits (often called sleep hygiene) are step 1 for change!
The biggest problem that I see in my practice is electronic use. Studies show that 90% of people are using some type of electronics at least a few nights a week within an hour before bedtime. Research is pretty clear that using them before bedtime makes it take longer to fall asleep, decreases the amount of melatonin produced (the hormone that promotes sleep), decreases and delays the timing of REM sleep, and increases sleepiness the next morning. Using devices before bedtime is also stimulating and can increase alertness, which can lead to delaying bedtime because you don’t feel sleepy anymore! The impact of devices on sleep not only affect that given night, but can actually impact your internal circadian clock and sleep quality for several days.
So what do we do about this?
Use blue-light blocking filters or glasses with your electronics
Throughout the evening turn off the overhead lights and begin to turn on lamps and softer lights
Turn off your electronics at LEAST 30 minutes before bed (ideally at least 60!)
Do NOT bring your phone into your bedroom - turn it off and charge it in a different room. Buy an alarm clock.
Get daytime bright light exposure - this is hard to do right now in Canada - but try to get out for at least 15 minutes during lunch - bright light exposure during the day seems to decrease some of the negative impact of electronics at night
Ensure your room is dark (towel over clock, blackout curtains, etc), even the smallest amount of light can impact our sleep. In the morning - open those curtains and let the natural light in (I know, Canada = dark right now, but when you can!)
Try to have similar bedtimes and wake times every day, be realistic around the timing - but set a time.
Electronic use is hard for everyone (me too!), we associate them with down time and they’re addictive. We don’t make good decisions at 10PM, so many people struggle to turn them off. If that’s the case, an alarm or an app that shuts everything off automatically can be helpful. Pull out some old puzzles, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, novels, crafts, cards, or other non-electronic fun to incorporate into your evening.
There are many MANY other ways to troubleshoot sleep and pieces to look at when suffering from insomnia. If you’re suffering - reach out! Your quality sleep is KEY!